Dockerized Polarion: Official Repository & Modular Architecture

I’m writing to share an important update regarding the distribution of my Polarion Docker images.

As many of you know, I use these containers daily in my own work. I am passionate about making Polarion more accessible for development and testing by simplifying deployment in containerized environments. However, to ensure this project has a sustainable and legal future, I am changing how I share these resources.

What is changing?

Due to licensing and EULA regulations, I am not permitted to publicly distribute Docker images containing proprietary Siemens software. To remain compliant while continuing to support the active community that relies on this work, I have moved the project to GitHub.

Effective immediately:

• Docker Hub Archive: The public repository (phillipboesger/polarion-docker) has been archived and is no longer being updated.
• Migration to GitHub (GHCR): The project has migrated to the GitHub Container Registry (GHCR) and the build scripts are now public.

Why this is a step forward

This isn't just about compliance; it's about quality. By moving to a GitHub-based model, we can collaborate more effectively. This new foundation allows for better transparency, community input via Issues and Pull Requests, and a more robust framework for everyone.

What’s new in the official repo:

• Compliance First: You provide the Polarion.zip, the script does the rest.
• Modular Entrypoint: The startup logic is split into lightweight scripts (e.g., database config, Apache setup, JDWP) that run dynamically. You can mount your own scripts into /opt/polarion/entrypoint.d/ to customize the container without rebuilding it.

The Preferred Way: Build it yourself (Local Build)

This is the standard, recommended way to use this project. It is fast, easy, and fully compliant.

1. Download the official Polarion ZIP (e.g., Polarion-2404.zip) from Siemens.
2. Place it in the repo folder.
3. Run docker build -t polarion .

The build script will automatically detect your ZIP file and create a ready-to-run image.

Option B: Pre-built Images (Restricted Access)

Building images locally on every machine is inefficient. I do maintain pre-built images on the GitHub Container Registry for my environment, but due to the reasons mentioned above, I cannot distribute them publicly.

If you have reasons and wish to use these pre-built images to save build time, feel free to request image access directly from me.

Quick Start (If access is granted):

# Login (requires Personal Access Token)
echo "YOUR_GITHUB_TOKEN" | docker login ghcr.io -u YOUR_GITHUB_USER --password-stdin

# Run Polarion
docker run -d \
  --name polarion \
  --platform linux/amd64 \
  -p 80:80 -p 443:443 \
  -p 5433:5433 \
  -p 5005:5005 \
  -e JAVA_OPTS="-Xmx8g -Xms8g" \
  -e JDWP_ENABLED=true \
  --volume polarion_repo:/opt/polarion/data/svn/repo \
  --volume polarion_extensions:/opt/polarion/polarion/extensions \
  ghcr.io/phillipboesger/polarion-docker:latest

One step closer, together

I want to say thank you for the incredible feedback and adoption of these Docker images so far. It’s been amazing to see how many of you have integrated them into your daily workflows.

By opening up the source repository, we are taking the next big step: this is no longer just my project, but a shared foundation. I invite you to open issues, submit feature requests, or even contribute directly. Let’s work together to tailor this image even further to our specific development needs and make the Polarion experience better for everyone.

Thank you for being part of this journey!